


Game Over (But In A Good Way)

by lemonadeneko



Category: Memories of the Alhambra (TV)
Genre: Because the real ending wasn't satisfying enough, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 10:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18776833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonadeneko/pseuds/lemonadeneko
Summary: The extension of the last episode we all wanted.The night felt like an epilogue to Hee-ju, full of loose ends being tied up. Se-ju was finally going to have legitimate contracts with professional gaming companies and meet with the current developers of Next. Hee-ju continued her relationship with some of the J-One employees. It was a year after Jin-woo left, and she never forgot and she never stopped believing, but it still felt like an ending. Except... there was that rumor about the gun-wielding player...





	Game Over (But In A Good Way)

**Author's Note:**

> This begins right at the end of the last episode pretty much right where you see Jin-woo silhouetted at the top of the hill. I wrote this for me because I was upset at a lack of finality in many of the relationships.

Hee-ju couldn’t believe it.

Because he’d been gone for a year. Because everyone stopped believing in him except her. Because this was all just a speculation based on an overheard conversation in a random café on a random night.

But he always came back. Maybe not always on time, but he always returned to her.

Se-ju had been back for a year now, and it was wonderful, it was amazing, but it wasn’t perfect. Because _he_ wasn’t back yet and who can truly celebrate when you lost someone just as important to you as the one you gained.

But there was a glimmer of hope. The conversation in the café, it held Hee-ju together like a lifeline. She could barely take Se-ju to the J-One skyscraper in one piece knowing that that was the company _he_ founded. Those walls were where he made his life, made his legacy, and formed his first family.

Hee-ju sprinted across the crosswalk toward the park, closing her eyes for a few seconds to log into the game. As she opened her eyes again, the sounds of swords clashing filled her ears from all the newer players levelling in the area. NPCs materialized and danced around making everything more hectic, but maybe, just maybe, logging in the game will help her find him.

It helped before.

_Bang!_

Hee-ju snapped her head toward the sound of a gun discharging. It had to have been him. He’s still the only player levelled enough to even own a firearm.

_Bang! Bang!_

Glancing frantically around the falling bodies of NPCs scattered throughout the hill, Hee-ju ran towards the hill dodging around various players still swinging at enemies. Gasping for breath, she looked up and almost fell to her knees.

Yoo Jin-woo stood near the top of the hill scanning the horizon slowly lowering the gun in his hand allowing it to evaporate in a flurry of pixels. He didn’t yet see her, but Hee-ju couldn’t bring herself to walk any closer. It was just a dream. He couldn’t be standing there in one piece.

Hee-ju believed in him.

She stood frozen among a few other players who were in awe of the player with the gun and just stared. It felt like when she first met him in front of Hostel Bonita demanding his own room. When he stood in front of her house a year later in back in South Korea approaching her simply because he missed her. It felt utterly quiet and frighteningly right.

Slowly, Jin-woo lowered his gaze towards the throng of players and his eyes came to a rest on her.

Time stopped. 

Hee-ju took in a shaky breath before logging off Next, terrified that he’d suddenly disappear when the illusions of the game flickered away, and she watched as he logged out as well as if they shared a fear that this was all a dream.

But he was still there staring at her intently, bathed in the orange glow from the nearby streetlamps looking utterly healthy and just like he did the day he tricked her into taking a taxi home after kissing her goodbye. But she wasn’t going to do that again. No, he wasn’t ever going to leave her again, not for another day, and especially not for another year.

God, she missed him.

Barely able to contain herself longer, Hee-ju let out a sob and sprinted up the hill toward him. She slammed into his warm body right as he leaned into her, and she buried her face in his neck. Crying softly, she ran her hands up his back feeling for any injuries and assuring herself that he was here, he was real, before holding onto the front of his jacket holding him close. She heard Jin-woo murmur her name and wrap his arms around her to hold her back.

“Did Se-ju make it home?” Jin-woo whispered in her ear. “Is he safe?”

Pulling back, Hee-ju cupped his face, tears still openly falling down her face as she nodded. “Yes, he’s home. He’s back. Are you real? You’re back?”

Jin-woo chuckled and touched their foreheads together. “I’m real.”

“I believed in you. I promised, I believed… Mr…” Hee-ju sniffed and wiped part of her face with her sleeve. “Mr. Park told me to give up… that you were dead and to move on… and I believed in you. I didn’t-”

“Prove it.”

“What?” Hee-ju startled and simply stared at Jin-woo barely registering his hands tightening on the small of her back.

“Prove to me that you believed in me,” Jin-woo repeated, a small smile playing on his lips.

“How?” Hee-ju responded, barely more than a whisper echoing the same conversation she still played over and over in her head because it somehow led to him kissing her in the rain a year ago and slowly, slowly she closed her eyes because she wanted him to do that again, she wanted him to kiss her.

She felt his lips touch hers.

Softly, softly because this is the first time there was no rush. There was no game, no police, no responsibilities, no anything other than the two of them in the moment.

He kissed her so softly.

Hee-ju let out a sigh which caused Jin-woo to grunt, deepening the kiss pushing into her mouth making her head spin, and she lost all thoughts. He was truly back, and this wasn’t a dream or a wild fantasy. It wasn’t the game; it wasn’t a hallucination. Jin-woo was back and home with Hee-ju, and no way in hell was she going to let him go.

Gently, he pulled away to smile fondly down at her and opened his mouth to say something when Hee-ju heard her phone go off.

“Answer it,” Jin-woo stated with a small smile when he saw her hesitation, stepping back and picking up his discarded cane.

After a moment of watching him retreat, Hee-ju pulled out her phone and answered.

“Hello?”

“Hee-ju.” She could hear Se-ju’s voice crackle over the phone, but he sounded slightly more confident and less shaky than when she dropped him off. “I’d… like you to come back to talk with me and Mr. Park before we go. Please.”

“Oh! Sure. I’ll be back there in a few minutes, I, uh,” Hee-ju glanced at Jin-woo who was watching her with a bemused expression. She smiled contently at the sight of him standing there and faced him as she replied to her brother.

“I have a surprise.” Hee-ju settled on. “See you soon! Bye.”

She hung up and slipped her phone away before facing Jin-woo her back straight. “Come with me to J-One to meet with Se-ju.”

“I don’t seem to have a choice, do I?” he laughed quietly. “We reunite for ten minutes and she’s ordering me around.”

“Well, you have to come.” Hee-ju pursed her lips. “You aren’t leaving me again, okay? Now, come on, Mr. Park will be excited to see you, too.”

Without waiting for agreement, she reached out to grab his free hand before leading him back down the hill through the throng of Next players. Some were staring at them while others were still immersed in the game fighting now-invisible NPCs.

When pushing past the players, she made sure to tighten her grip continually pulling him closer as they made their way toward the street.

She never saw him fondly watching her every move and smiling at their joined hands.

 

It was all over and Jin-woo never thought he’d be this happy. It seemed as if his life was built on misfortune and his torture culminated in the past two years of agony filled with losing his best friends, father figure, and company.

But, Hee-ju was there, right when he returned, there still believing in him, and the only beautiful thing to come out of his mess of a life. It felt like a finale, and nothing terrified him more than the idea that there were more problems, more adversities, more rich ‘friends’ with personal vendettas. But, even with all these worries, he felt safe and content because the first person to welcome his arrival in reality was Hee-ju, and he missed her much more than he’d ever admit.

He still never told her how much her tears meant to him.

Hee-ju pulled him into the back of a taxi before she pulled out her phone again to send a text. He noticed that she made sure to sit in the middle seat, so she’d be closer to him. It probably wasn’t just because she missed him, but also a product of the many times he disappeared on her in the past. To his surprise, she casually leaned her head on his shoulder while tapping away at her phone responding to whoever sent the text.

Sighing at her current lack of attention, Jin-woo allowed himself to relax slightly realizing how tired, how stressed he had become. Eyes fluttering closed, he touched the back of his hand to Hee-ju’s leg and rested his head atop hers before falling into a peaceful sleep. 

After what felt like a minute, he awoke to Hee-ju gently shaking him awake, her hand somehow in his. She pushed him out of the cab, and after paying, she stood next to him facing the imposing J-One building.

It’s been a whole year since he was pushed out of his position as CEO and even without him, the company was thriving and doing well.

“Se-ju is waiting for me.” Hee-ju watched him carefully, most likely looking for any sort of negative reaction from him. But, Jin-woo felt fine. His life was wiped clean, nothing scared him anymore, least of all a company he saved.

He gripped his cane before striding forward using his free hand to grab Hee-ju’s and pull her along through the crowds. He heard people whispering and out of the corner of his eyes saw fingers pointing, but he didn’t care and Hee-ju didn’t seem to notice. J-One was his company, and with Professor Cha gone and Mr. Park still as CEO, Jin-woo assumed he’d be welcomed.

Once they entered the building, Hee-ju took the lead taking him towards what he assumed to be Mr. Park’s office. The secretary seemed to go in a state of shock at the sight of him, but Jin-woo didn’t say anything as Hee-ju asked if Mr. Park was in his office, then led him in.

As soon as they walked through the door, Mr. Park stood up, knocking over his chair and stared. There was a young man sitting hunched on the couch who must have been Se-ju judging by how Hee-ju walked over to rest a hand on his shoulder and share a smile. Mr. Park looked ready to burst into tears while Se-ju watched him out of the corner of his eye, not shifting from his hunched over stance.

“Jin-woo?” Mr. Park took a step forward in awe. “Jin-woo is that really you?”

Jin-woo glanced down at himself before smiling at Mr. Park. “Seems to be me, Son-ho.”

At those words, Mr. Park sunk to the floor crying softly in what Jin-woo hoped was relief. He would have been lying if he said he didn’t also feel gratification that he was missed, especially when it seemed as though he was given up on. It was just nice to know that more than one person someone still cared.

“You’re back, I… I want to talk… what happened? What happened, Jin-woo?” Mr. Park stuttered as he struggled back to his feet.

Jin-woo glanced at Hee-ju and Se-ju, the former watching with a smile and the latter timidly looking at the ground.

“I’m back now. I’m sure Se-ju informed you on how I survived. Don’t let me interfere with whatever you were going to discuss with Hee-ju and Se-ju.” Jin-woo turned toward the boy. “Speaking of which, nice to meet you, Se-ju. I’m Jin-woo.”

Jin-woo extended a hand toward Se-ju with an easy smile. Se-ju slowly looked up at Jin-woo and he realized that Se-ju had fresh tears lining his eyes.

“I thought I killed you. I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t have sent you the quest if I knew… I’m… I’m sorry I-“

“I knew what I was doing, Se-ju. Everything turned out okay. We’re both here and alive thanks to you and the way you programmed the game. Take pride in that.” Jin-woo outstretched his hand more, determined to get Se-ju to meet him.

“Shake his hand,” Hee-ju whispered to Se-ju, nudging his shoulder.

Se-ju sniffled, wiped his nose, and finally looked up at Jin-woo, taking his hand and shaking it. 

No one else would understand, but to Jin-woo it was satisfying and finalizing. It was as if he truly completed his quest and truly saved Se-ju, pulling them both out of the virtual reality and into the real world even if Se-ju’s been home for a year longer than he had. 

“Nice to meet you,” Se-ju mumbled while retracting his hand.

“Now, as I was saying, don’t let me interfere,” Jin-woo announced. Mr. Park opened his mouth to protest, but Jin-woo interrupted him. “I will talk to you alone later and answer your questions. Carry on.”

He walked down to the end of the conference table in the office, sat down, and closed his eyes. He would someday explain to Mr. Park all that transpired, but for now he wanted to rest and spend time with Hee-ju after their little meeting.

Noting Jin-woo’s refusal to talk any more, Mr. Park sighed. “Okay. Hee-ju please sit down. Se-ju wanted you here to discuss next steps as we help set up his own company.”

 

Hee-ju discussed logistics with Se-ju and Mr. Park for about an hour, all the while hyper-aware of Jin-woo sitting in the same room as her. It almost didn’t feel real that he was back, and he was in one piece, not hurt, and willing to stay with her.

“Okay!” Mr. Park announced jolting Hee-ju out of her head. “Does that sound good to everyone? I’ll have the contracts drafted and copies sent to you for you to look over soon, Se-ju.”

“Thank you,” Se-ju murmured, his head bowed in what Hee-ju hoped was gratitude and not just shyness.

Checking the clock, Hee-ju realized how late it was and how much darker it was outside. She didn’t want to keep Min-ju and Grandma waiting too long since she knew they both worried if Se-ju wasn’t at home. They really all still feared Se-ju up and disappearing again even though his past mistakes were resolved and Se-ju was safe again. 

“Thank you so much, Mr. Park, we appreciate this effort immensely,” Hee-ju smiled. “We have to go home now before my family thinks we’re missing.”

She stood up then hesitated. She wanted Jin-woo to come home with her, to stay with her, but didn’t want to assume or overstep. It was just Hee-ju missed him so much and letting him out of her sight now would feel like him disappearing again.

Jin-woo never said goodbye, and Hee-ju could not trust that she’d see him again if he didn’t come home with her. Se-ju seemed oblivious to her mini dilemma and the noise of him shuffling toward the door woke Jin-woo up enough for him to open his eyes.

“Are you leaving?” Jin-woo asked.

“Yes,” Hee-ju replied. Hope laced her voice as she asked, “Do you want to come home with us?”

His soft smile gave her an answer and made her chest feel warm inside. He stood up from the corner, stretching slightly before walking over toward Se-ju and Hee-ju standing at the door.

“I’d like that,” he said. “Son-ho, I’ll call you and set up an appointment to talk about everything at a later date. For now, I’m going to rest and recover. You may tell people I am back, but allow me to recuperate for a bit longer before we discuss possibilities of me returning to J-One.”

“Of course, Jin-woo. I’m so glad you’re back.” Mr. Park bowed slightly and smiled widely. Even though he may have been put off that Jin-woo was dismissing him right as they reunited despite being longtime friends, Mr. Park’s knowing look at Hee-ju told her that he knew exactly why Jin-woo was following Hee-ju. “I’ll look forward to hearing from you all!”

Hee-ju smiled and shook Mr. Park’s hand before extending her hand for Jin-woo to take as they walked back to her car with Se-ju a few steps behind. Whenever she turned around to check on her brother, he would begin glancing awkwardly at anything but their intertwined hands. 

She’d long since told him about her relationship with Jin-woo because how else could she explain her weekly visits to a random church or why she looked sad whenever she saw Next ads? What did she gain from lying or hiding? Either way, Se-ju was closest in age to her in her family and didn’t hate Jin-woo like Hak-joo. As such, he became as close to an equal and confidant as possible in her household full of dependents. It helped that Hee-ju was also the only one who fully understood the source of his PTSD, yet another reason to talk about Jin-woo and explain how she learned _so_ much about the game while Se-ju was gone.

So, holding Jin-woo’s hand wasn’t a surprise to Se-ju, probably just new and different. In Granada, Hee-ju barely had time for herself, let alone relationships, and with her parents passing away while her siblings were young, both Se-ju and Min-ju never had a chance to overcome their childish aversion to romance. Even though Se-ju was a full adult, with his head constantly in his computer, he never interacted with many people outside of her family unit anyway. So, Se-ju’s current awkwardness was obvious to her. Most likely, Jin-woo just interpreted it as timidity, and for now, Hee-ju let him think that.

Once they reached the car, Se-ju pointedly went for the backseat leaving the passenger seat open for Jin-woo, which Hee-ju was secretly grateful for. As much as she loved her brother, her boyfriend, if you could call him that after the year absence, finally returned and she just wanted to spend time alone with him.

Efficiently, Hee-ju started the car and began the long car drive out of the city into the suburbs where she lived. For a moment or two, the car simmered in what might’ve been an awkward, loaded, or tired silence. Hee-ju couldn’t tell and it really depended on how the two men felt about each other which she couldn’t fully read from the driver’s seat of the car.

Eventually, Jin-woo filled in the silence. “I’ve been gone for a year now, so I no longer have a hotel room to return to. Tomorrow, I’ll find a new hotel room somewhere to stay so I don’t impose on your family.”

“No, stay as long as you need, Min-ju would love to have you stay,” Hee-ju rushed out of her mouth. For no reason at all, the thought of him sleeping under a different room panicked her, but she couldn’t find it in her to admit it. “So would Grandma, and the couch has always been open for you. If it’s not comfortable we can buy another bed, or you can take mine-”

Jin-woo’s laughter filled the car and Hee-ju immediately felt indignant. Who was he to laugh at her? Did he not miss her as much as she missed him? Did he know how many times she went to the church to cry for him?

“Why are you laughing at me?” She said over his laughter.

“You’re just so… accommodating,” Jin-woo explained. “But, in a forceful, convincing way. Have you always been this pushy?”

“Pushy? What do you mean pushy?” Hee-ju heard her voice begin to raise, but didn’t really register she was yelling. “You’re back for one night and you’re already being mean to me. Why can’t you give me one minute to be happy for your return? Why do you have to pick on me? You’re so selfish, you never think about others and how your words affect others.”

“That’s not true,” Jin-woo chuckled. “I think about my actions, and I think about you.”

The car was quiet for a moment as the words sunk into the car. Hee-ju knew she was overreacting, and she knew it was probably due to her emotions running high with Jin-woo back, but… 

“Then why did you drop off my car without saying goodbye?” Hee-ju quietly asked knowing she’d get no answer.

She was right.

If they were on the phone, Hee-ju was sure Jin-woo would hang up and stop answering her calls for a day. Which, to be honest, wasn’t fair for him to run away from her when she believed in him and _trusted_ him. She stayed by his side, so didn’t he owe her an ounce of consideration or respect? But, right now he was in the car next to her, unable to run away, and for that she was glad.

Jin-woo, true to form, didn’t say anything to respond to her question, and most likely wouldn’t respond if Hee-ju tried to start a new conversation. He seemed to be in a pensive mood, his head turned away from her toward the window, though luckily, he didn’t seem upset at her.

God, Hee-ju could you be any more inconsiderate? He’d been back for a night and she’s already getting in a fight with him. Though, that did seem to be a pattern considering how their first date started out.

Suddenly, she remembered Se-ju was in the back, and instantly felt embarrassed for their fight in front of him. What an example for her to set… Thank god they were almost at the house so she could set Jin-woo up on the couch, send her family to bed and try and sleep away the embarrassment.

Riding the rest of the way in silence, Hee-ju parked in front of the house and led the men into the house quietly, hoping that it was late enough for Grandma to have gone to bed so she could deal with the drama of Jin-woo’s return in the morning.

Unfortunately, as soon as the door opened, Min-ju called out, “About time you got home!”

“Yeah!” Se-ju called back, quickly shoving on slippers to grab a water from the fridge before sitting at the kitchen table to unwind. “We have a guest, turn off the TV.”

“A guest?” Min-ju yelled. Hee-ju could hear blankets and pillows shift around as Min-ju looked for the remote. “Who?”

Hee-ju pursed her lips as she and Jin-woo finally entered the family room, already bracing herself for the screams and excitement. To her surprise, Jin-woo had the first word.

“Hello, Min-ju. How’re you?” he asked with a wide smile.

“Don’t scream. Is Grandma asleep?” Hee-ju interjected quickly, trying to prevent Min-ju from shattering all the glass in the room. “Don’t wake her up.”

Luckily, Min-ju got the hint and didn’t make any noise other than a gasp before bolting over to Jin-woo and tackling him in a hug. If it weren’t for the cane, Hee-ju was certain he would’ve fallen backwards into the hallway.

“I can’t believe you’re back! Mr. Yoo, where were you!” Min-ju exclaimed. “Oh, you wouldn’t believe how upset Hee-ju was. She wouldn’t let us talk about you at all except for Se-ju. You also still haven’t proposed to her, though you get a break since you’ve been missing for a year. Why do you always leave for one-year periods?”

In the moment where Min-ju paused to take a breath, Jin-woo interrupted to stop her tirade.

“I never _plan_ on leaving. Sometimes my life just leads me a certain direction.”

“But, don’t you love Hee-ju? Why would you leave someone you love?” Min-ju tilted her head to think for a second. “You didn’t run off with someone else for a year, did you?! Ohhhhhhh.”

“No, no, I didn’t leave with anyone. I was by myself for the year,” Jin-woo assured her, his eyes wide. Min-ju screwed up her face, and shot back a response.

Hee-ju wasn’t sure what to do with herself. She knew, logically, that Min-ju and Jin-woo always got along very well, so they didn’t need her supervision. But it didn’t sit right with her to leave Jin-woo with her siblings. Or, maybe she just didn’t want to leave him. 

She sighed as she watched Jin-woo and Min-ju get into a passionate argument about how Jin-woo spent his year with Jin-woo spinning wilder and larger lies with each question. Hee-ju herself knew what happened to him, but she never told Min-ju the truth about Jin-woo and Se-ju and the origins of Next. Luckily, she knew he wouldn’t talk about the game to Min-ju. She would learn the story someday, but tonight was not a night for revelations. It was not a night for explanations, it was a night for calm.

So, without another moment wasted, Hee-ju quietly moved around the house collecting extra bedding and nicely making the couch into a makeshift bed. After laying the last blanket out, she first ushered Se-ju who was sitting at the table sipping water to bed before interrupting Min-ju and rushing her upstairs to bed leaving Jin-woo to get comfortable on the couch.

Finally, it was just the two of them alone again, and Hee-ju sighed in exhaustion. She made her way into the kitchen to tackle some of the dirty dishes sitting in the sink.

“I’m sorry I don’t have any pajama sets. I’d let you borrow Se-ju’s clothes, but they’re too worn and dirty,” Hee-ju ventured. They hadn’t exchanged any proper words since the car, and even though they’ve shared a few looks, things felt a bit strange. Though, it could’ve also been because of her family’s presence. 

“Tomorrow I’m going to make a few calls to find out where my possessions were taken. I’ll find a change of clothing then.” Jin-woo took off his jacket before sitting on the couch and reclining to watch Hee-ju. She could feel his eyes on her back as she finished up.

“Good,” Hee-ju breathed.

A moment of silence passed between them, heavy in the dim lamplight and quiet of the night.

“Hee-ju, you know I never meant to leave you. I meant it when I said I’d visit when it was all over,” Jin-woo stated from the couch behind her. “Look at me.”

She hastily wiped silent tears from her eyes before turning too look at Jin-woo. He smiled softly in response and patted the seat next to him. Silently, she made her way across the dimmed family room. The quiet began to take a form of intimacy.

As she collapsed next to him on the couch, he tilted his head to smile fondly at her. “You should know. The main thing motivating me though my quest was you. I promised I’d save your brother, and so I did. I never expected to find the bugs in the game and I never anticipated needing to almost die to fix them.

“I never said goodbye when dropping off the car because I didn’t want to make it harder. I knew what I was doing when I went to see Emma, and if I saw you, you would think it were all over. You would think all the problems were resolved. But, I still needed to save your brother from his nightmares. I needed to delete the bug that caused him to be haunted by Marco.”

Hee-ju put her head in her hands and let out a sob. “You should’ve said goodbye. You never say goodbye. And I’m just left to deal with the emptiness, unsure of what happened and what I did. You saved Se-ju and I’m so grateful, but I…” Hee-ju paused and turned a tearful gaze toward Jin-woo. “Do we have to talk about this now? You just got home.”

All she wanted was to collapse into him. There was a lot between them, and a lot of unresolved emotions and sentiments, but for now, he was back, and all Hee-ju wanted was to kiss him again and just be near him again. Hopefully he was back for good, and she’d make him promise to never leave. But, for now she knew that there was no danger of him leaving. She could tell there were going to be more conversations and more time, and in that extra time they could drag out all that’s been on their minds and all the emotions behind every action.

But for now, it was okay to leave things unsaid.

Hee-ju slowly leaned her head on his shoulder and wiped away more of her tears.

“Can we just, be together,” Hee-ju asked. “Just for a moment. I don’t want to miss you anymore.”

Jin-woo silently adjusted Hee-ju so her head rested on his chest and they were reclined on the couch. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and murmured, “Okay. Later.”

He pulled her into his arms and draped a blanket over them, running a hand through her hair. Curled against his chest, it hit her again that he was back. He was here with her and it wasn’t a dream, it wasn’t a fantasy or daydream. He was holding her, touching her hair. 

Hee-ju sat up slightly to lean in and kiss him, short and sweetly, and seeing Jin-woo’s small, private smile felt like her chest was going to explode. Nothing was more perfect or important as this.

Their faces inches apart, the darkness swallowing the room around them, Hee-ju pressed another kiss to his lips before leaning back. She whispered, “Promise me you’ll always say goodbye.”

Jin-woo’s face flickered slightly, before simply becoming sadder and more rueful. He lifted a hand to caress her face and she leaned into it.

“I promise I’ll always say goodbye,” he murmured back. His eyes roamed her face for a moment before boring into her eyes, capturing her attention. “Promise you’ll always believe in me.”

“I promise I’ve always believed in you, and I will always believe in you.”

Simultaneously, they smiled, sharing another soft kiss before Hee-ju resumed her position against his chest. With all Hee-ju’s family in the house, there was a limit on how intimate she felt comfortable becoming, and Jin-woo didn’t push her. They both knew there would be other nights, more time, future plans. For now, being close was what mattered most, and reassuring each other that it was real, everything was real and not an illusion or game or program.

So, Jin-woo stroked her hair and Hee-ju traced small circles on his torso until they drifted to sleep.

Hee-ju knew in the morning her family would have things to say about her sleeping on the couch with Jin-woo, but all those comments and yelling would be worth it because she had him back. Because Jin-woo was back home with his family.


End file.
